Thursday, January 29, 2009

Oat and Nut Energy Bites - Sugar free

Snacks play a starring role in my day's menu. I would happily skip lunch if I was offered snacks instead. Items like bakshanam*, vadai* or samosa* immediately come to mind. Not that I ever do that, mind you, because my conscience would not let me get away with that. Knowing my weakness for snacks I take care that I never keep the items mentioned above at home and stock my pantry with healthy alternatives like dry fruits and nuts.

Having said that, there are only so many dry fruits you can snack on, before it starts to become a little boring. So when I came across this recipe on Divya's site I thought it was an interesting and intriguing idea. I have now made these energy bites many many times and have changed some of the proportions along the way and have enjoyed it quite a lot each time. This energy bite is mildly sweet and with a combination of oats and nuts, is packed with nutrients, fiber and protein. This also makes a great snack when on the go, especially on long drives or even on the drive back from work :-)

1 1/2 cups of mixed nuts ( I used a combination of raw unsalted peanuts, almonds and cashewnuts) (any combination of nuts works here, I have used almonds (badam), peanuts (mungphali) , walnuts (akhrot), cashew nuts (kaju) to name a few over time in making these)

Dry roast the one minute oats till it turns into a creamier color ( about a minute or two) and keep aside.

Dry roast the mixed nuts either separately or together and keep aside.

In a food processor or blender grind the oats to a fine powder and keep aside.

Similarly grind the nuts to a fine powder and keep aside.

A food processor is my preferred gadget to make this because it really simplifies the process. If using a food processor, place the dates and raisins and process until the dates are much smaller and seem a little mushed up.

Add the oat flour and nut powder to this along with cardamom seed powder and process until all the ingredients come together.

It looks a little like thick and sticky breadcrumbs. You
know it is done when you place a little of this mixture on your palm
and make a fist, the mixture should bind and hold together.

If using clarified butter/ ghee add at this point and give it another turn.

If using a blender then the best way to proceed is to powder each of dry ingredients separately and add to a large bowl.

Lastly grind the raisins+dates and add the crushed/ground dates to the rest and knead with your hand until the mixture starts to come together.

Proceed as above.

Notes:

You can use a combination of any type of nuts, I used these since they are my favorite ones.

You can change the proportion of oats and nuts slightly but the dates and raisins are essential because they impart sweetness and also provide binding to these bites so reducing or skipping one or both can impact the final product.

The cardamom imparts wonderful flavor to these bites so I would not recommend skipping it.

* Bakshanam are deep fried snacks from Southern India, Vadai is a snack made from deep fried ground lentils and samosa's are spiced potatoes rolled in dough and what else....deep fried of course:-)

55 comments
:

Wow Usha! Thanks! You really did try it! I am so happy that you made it so many times and most of all liked it. It is such a healthy power snack and could keep one energized for a very long time.Looks very pretty too!

Yeah, I am due for my next post, have been slacking off, I am trying to get one done from morning, and still am at it! :(I find it easier to see what others are cooking than do a post myself. He he.

hi usha i love this nut fudge i have another version of a nut bar i have made - i like yours cos its sugar free. I am going to try and make the same. Ihave a sweet tooth but i am on a diet :p so its got to be sugarless!

Rose I have not tried this with rolled oats. But I think you can use rolled oats in this recipe, you may have to roast rolled oats longer and powder it very fine. If you do try this with rolled oats, I would love to know how it turned out.....

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Dedication

This blog is dedicated to three wonderful women in my life who inspire me to give my best to creating the most tasty and healthy dishes.

My mother and my grandmother,two very gifted individuals who not only created magic in their kitchens from the most ordinary ingredients but also created magic in our lives with their love,generosity,spirit and laughter.I cherish the memories of my time with each of them

And my mother in law who with her wonderful smile,resourceful nature and patience continues to guide me,inspire me and makes my time spent with her in the kitchen and out of it, fun.